FALLING ice has again shut Scotland's showpiece road bridge for the second year running - a matter of weeks after transport secretary Michael Matheson suggested lessons had been learnt.
The Queensferry Crossing connecting Edinburgh and Fife was closed to vehicular traffic in both directions at 4.45am on Friday due to "ongoing weather conditions, including falling ice and snow". It re-opened after rush hour, having being shut for over four hours.
Transport Scotland was previously criticised for lack of action after reports of ice falling on vehicles in February
When it opened, the £1.35bn Queensferry Crossing was expected to remain open in all weather conditions.
It was fitted with 3.5m (11ft) high barriers designed to ensure the bridge would not be closed by high winds.
And at the start of last month it announced efforts to prevent the issue with ice sensors installed.
Infrastructure secretary Michael Matheson suggested the administration had learned a lesson from last winter when the crossing, which was the result of the biggest infrastructure project in Scotland in a generation, was closed following reports of ice falling on vehicles.
More gritters than ever before & new ice sensors on the #QueensferryCrossing: Transport Secretary @MathesonMichael announces winter plans as we work with @PoliceScotland and @MetOffice to keep Scotland’s trunk roads moving.
— Transport Scotland (@transcotland) November 3, 2020
Read more ▶️ https://t.co/KFmAVdTdr6#ReadyForWinter pic.twitter.com/qMRoA2giNm
He had been criticised for suggesting that an earlier incident was ‘a result of a very specific set of weather conditions’ and was unlikely to recur.
Calls were made in February for an urgent investigation into ice issues on the 1.7 mile publicly funded bridge which arose 11 months after giant icicles smashed the windscreens of three cars after they snapped off from cables on the crossing.
The Herald revealed that the problem came despite the existing multi-million pound sensor system being unable to properly detect ice.
The Scottish Government were criticised for a failure to act quickly with transport secretary Michael Matheson said in October, 2019 that new sensors would be installed.
Prior to this winter season, new ice sensors were installed on the Queensferry Crossing as "part of a number of measures to improve the detection and management of ice accretion".
The Queen opened the bridge in August, 2017.
READ MORE: Farce Road Bridge: Shut Queensferry Crossing's weather sensors cannot properly detect ice
As new measures were announced last month, Mr Matheson said: ‘Our teams always look to learn lessons from previous winters and have once again worked hard throughout the year to ensure we are well prepared for when the worst of the weather arrives.
Barely into December and the best bridge in the wurrlld is closed again.
— Agent P 🏴🇬🇧 (@AgentP22) December 4, 2020
Another SNP success story.#QueensferryCrossing pic.twitter.com/rg38IVr5yZ
"This ranges from the use of new technology, like ice accretion sensors and motorway access units, to trialling new treatments and adding more gritters to our fleet."
In February the crossing was closed for the first time since it opened in 2017 after ice and snow fell from cables on to vehicles below.
Eight vehicles were damaged before the bridge was closed on safety grounds.
It led to lengthy tailbacks as drivers take a 35-mile diversion, crossing the Kincardine Bridge.
Still closed - the previous issue with falling ice off the cables. Let’s hope the temperature rises soon! https://t.co/TwS0q3we9E
— Forth Bridges (@ForthBridges) December 4, 2020
At the time of the February incident, Mr Matheson said there had been a similar issue the previous winter when snow and ice built up on some of the cables, but the bridge had not been closed.
Mr Matheson said: "I recognise the frustration of travellers today, and I very much regret that the bridge has been closed for the first time, but it is a bridge that's given us much greater resilience than the old Forth Road Bridge.
"There's now been something like 30 occasions when we would have had only partial or no use of the Forth Road Bridge, whereas the Queensferry Crossing is continuing to function."
The Scottish Government then confirmed that it was planning to install ice sensors on the structure "in the coming months".
Once again the great @theSNP vanity project, the bridge that will never close, #QueensferryCrossing is shut again due to that unique problem, ice on the cables. Should put it on massive engineering blunders on @Discovery channel
— Spudulike65 (@spudulike1965) December 4, 2020
When it opened to traffic in August, 2017, it was heralded by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon as "a symbol of a confident, forward-looking Scotland" and a "feat of modern engineering".
Before it opened, bridge operators said the 3.5m high wind shields, would "almost entirely eliminate the need for closures".
The Queensferry Crossing fully reopened to traffic at 09:05 today after being temporarily closed as a safety precaution in adverse weather conditions.
— BEAR SE Trunk Roads (@SETrunkRoads) December 4, 2020
More details:https://t.co/is5LR2pCNW pic.twitter.com/BgHoQojfOy
Chris Tracey, Bear Scotland’s south east unit bridges manager, said: “The safety of bridge users comes first and we therefore made the decision to temporarily close the Queensferry Crossing when we identified a risk of falling ice.
“We constantly monitor conditions on the Queensferry Crossing in real time using a bespoke system of weather sensors on the towers and deck. At 04:30 this system reported conditions conducive for ice formation. Patrol staff observed ice falling from the bridge towers shortly after this and the bridge was closed at 04:45.
“The risk of falling ice has now passed and it is safe to reopen the bridge. We apologise for any inconvenience caused to road users by this closure.”
When the road was shut, Bear Scotland said ice fall was more than just a risk.
It said: "The Queensferry Crossing is currently closed to vehicular traffic due to ongoing weather conditions, including falling ice and snow.
"All traffic is being diverted via the A985 Kincardine Bridge."
Already getting complaints from Fife constituents about the closure of the Queensferry Crossing this morning due to ice. Massive disruption being caused. We need a long term solution to this problem, including allowing use of the Forth Road Bridge.
— Murdo Fraser (@murdo_fraser) December 4, 2020
The Queensferry crossing was closed today for a short period of time due to falling Ice which has now been cleared
— THE BLACK SALTIRE#FBSI (@80_mcswan) December 4, 2020
It amazes me Unionists are raging it was closed
Are they calling for people lives to be put at risk?
❄️ Icy weather is forecast at the Queensferry Crossing overnight tonight into Thursday. We’ll be monitoring the bridge closely for any issues with the help of our new weather sensors.
— BEAR SE Trunk Roads (@SETrunkRoads) December 2, 2020
More here: https://t.co/GR5Auh7TFe pic.twitter.com/N3l4NOz1XY
Bear Scotland said of the new detection system: “The new ice sensors on the Queensferry Crossing will not stop ice forming, however they will improve our understanding of the issue and give us some early warning when conditions are conducive to ice accretion
“The sensors monitor four weather conditions we know can cause ice accretion when they converge within specific parameters. This will help to provide early warning of such conditions and allow us to more accurately measure and understand the conditions.
“The safety of bridge users and workers comes first, so we will close the bridge and divert the traffic in conditions that cause ice accretions to form and fall from the cables.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel